Apparatus for receiving and delivering mail.



R. W. LOMAX. APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING AND DELIVERING MAIL.

' APPLICATION FILED FEB.9, 1910.

Patented May 31, 1910.

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APPLIUATION FILED FEB.9, 1910. I

960,180.. I Patented May 31,1910.

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ROGER W. LOMAX, OF LYNCI-IBURG, VIRGINIA.

APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING AND DELIVERING MAIL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 31, 1910.

Application filed February 9, 1910. Serial No. 542,914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROGER W. LOMAX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynchburg, in the county of Campbell and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Receiving and Delivering Mail, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for efl'ecting the delivery of mail pouches or bags to railway cars while in motion and one of its objects is to provide a simple form of throwing device located at one side of the path of the moving car and designed to be actuated at the proper time by a tripping device carried by said car, the parts being so located and proportioned as to direct or throw a mail pouch or bag through an opening in the car and against a stop device such as a screen or the like located within the can,

A further object is to provide improved means for holding the throwing device nor mally in set position.

lVith these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims. 7

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a mail car for use in connection with the throwing mechanism, said mechanism and its trip being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a section on line A-B Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bag holder used in connection with the apparatus. Figs. 4 and 5 are views of modified forms of bag holders.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 0 designates a mail car provided with the usual door opening D and extending upwardly from the floor of the car and directly back of the opening is a screen made up of standards 1 connected by means of a wire fabric 2 or any other suitable structure sufficient to stop a bag or the like thrown thereagainst.

Openings 3 are formed in the bottom of the car body close to the door jambs and a guide bracket 4 is arranged adjacent each of these openings. Hangers 5 are slidably mounted within the guide brackets and within the openings 3 and are secured to or formed with a tripping bar or runner 6 having upwardly curved end portions 7. Each of the hangers 5 is provided with a series of openings 8 in its upper end port-ion and any one of these openings is adapted to receive a locking pin 9 mounted within the adjoining bracket 4. Obviously by means of these locking means, the runner 6 can be supported at any desired elevation relative to the rails on which the car is mounted. The mechanism employed for supporting a bag or pouch and for throwing it into the door opening of the car, is located at one side of the track and consists of an upstanding casing 10 open at the top and bottom and having an elongated arm 11 extending therethrough and mounted at its lower end between bearing blocks 12 within which are journaled trunnions 13 extending laterally from the lower end of the arm 11. If preferred a pivot rod may be utilized instead of the trunnions, said rod extending through the lever. A trough like holder 14: is arranged upon the upper end of arm 11, said holder being closed at its lower end' and said end being attached to the arm. The upper end of the holder is open and that face of the holder'nearest the track is also open. This construction of the holder has been clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. An arm 15 extends from the lower end of arm 11 and through a guide extension 16 formed upon the wall of casing 10, this arm being normally inclined upwardly and extended toward the track, there being a roller 17 or the like mounted on the free end portion of the arm and under the normal path of the tripping runner 6. Another arm 18 extends from the lower end of arm 11 and in a direction substantially opposite to the arm 15 and this arm 18 carries a weight 19 which serves to hold arm 11 normally in a predetermined position. A stop cushion 20 is located in the upper end of the casing 10 and in the path of arm 11 and is designed to be contacted by said arm when the same is swung toward the passing car.

A platform 21 may be located at the upper end of the casing and this platform can be reached by a short ladder 22. A stop block 23 is preferably located under the weight 19 so as to limit the downward movement thereof. In using the apparatus herein described the bag or pouch to be delivered to the car is placed within the holder 14 and the weight 19 will obviously hold the said holder inclined upwardly and backwardly so that the bag will not fall therefrom. Roller 17 will also be held elevated close to and under the normal path of the runner 6. Before the car reaches the point where the bag is to be delivered thereto, the arms 5 are lowered so as to bring the runner nearer the track and said arms are secured by means of the pins 9. It will be apparent therefore that when the car passes the point of delivery the runner will travel onto roller 17 and force it downwardly and will at the same time cause arm 11 to swing forward against the cushion 20. The arm, and holder 14, will thus be brought to a sudden stop but the bag will be expelled from the holder and through the door opening D and against the screen arranged back of the opening. It is to be understood of course that the holder 14: will not enter the door opening. \V eight 19 returns the holder to its normal position immediately subsequent to the delivery of the bag. Instead of mounting the holder 14 on end, as shown in Fig. 3, it can be placed with one of its sides contacting with and secured to the arm. Such an arrangement has been illustrated in Fig. 4:.

In F ig. 5 a box like holder 24 has been shown, the same being mounted in a frame 25 which is pivotally connected to arm 11 as shown at 26. The open or discharge end of this holder is directed toward the path of the car and obviously by utilizing a pivoted frame 25, the holder can be adjusted to and held in any desired position relative to the arm 11.

It is to be understood that various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

WVhat is claimed is 1. Apparatus of the class described including a throwing arm mounted for swinging movement, bag holding means upon the arm, means for holding the arm normally in a predetermined position, a depressible member extending from the arm, and adjustable car supported means movable past the arm for depressing said member to swing the arm toward the car.

2. Apparatus of the, class described including a throwing arm, a depressible member extending therefrom, a car having a bag receiving opening, bag holding means upon the arm, a runner adjustably supported by the car and movable against the depressible member to swing the bag holding means toward the opening in the car during the movement of said car past the throwing arm, and cushioning means in the path of the throwing arm.

3. Apparatus of the class described in cluding an upstanding casing, a throwing arm mounted for swinging movement therein in a vertical plane, a depressible arm extending from the throwing arm and beyond the casing, adjustable means for holding the arms normally in predetermined positions, and an adjustable car supported runner movable against the depressible arm to shift the throwing arm toward the car while passing the casing.

4:- Apparatus of the class described including an upstanding casing, a throwing arm mounted to swing therein in a vertical plane, a bag holding device upon the arm, a stop device in the path of said arm, a depressible member extending from the arm, adjustable means for holding the arm normally in a predetermined position, an antifriction device carried by the depressible member, and an adjustably mounted car supported runner movable against said antifriction device to actuate the throwing arm.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aiiixed my signa-' ture in the presence of two witnesses.

ROGER W. LOMAX.

Witnesses:

C. E. DOYLE, HERBERT D. LAWSON. 

